Pharmacy opens at Community Care

BUCKHANNON — Patients of the Community Care of West Virginia health center can get their prescriptions filled right around the corner, thanks to the opening of a new pharmacy in the downtown health center. The Community Care Pharmacy opened Monday in the Community Care health center, located at 37 W. Main Street across from the Upshur County Courthouse. The health center, which opened in January 2017, is one of Community Care of W.Va.’s 15 health centers housed in Clay, Braxton, Lewis, Harrison, Upshur, Randolph and Pocahontas counties. The opening of the Community Care Pharmacy on Main Street makes eight pharmacies the company owns in West Virginia. Ronna Dittman, director of marketing for CCWV, said the addition of a pharmacy inside the health center will make doctor’s visits significantly more convenient for patients.“It adds a layer of convenience, and some people prefer the one-on-one you get with a local small-town pharmacy, which is kind of the format that we have,” Dittman said. “And being local makes it more convenient for our patients. We want people to know that we do mail order prescriptions for people that can’t get out or for people that it’s inconvenient to get out.” In addition, the pharmacy offers the 340B drug pricing program to health center patients, which offers discounts on medications. What sets Community Care Pharmacy apart from other pharmacies, Dittman added, is its patient focus. “We’re patient focused,” Dittman said. “We know all of our patients and clients and have one-on-one relationships with them. We’re focused on providing the best quality care in our schools, in our health centers, in our pharmacies and in our dental center.” In addition to its health centers and pharmacies throughout the Mountain State, CCWV runs 45 school-based health centers, as well as a dental clinic in Pocahontas County. Kathy Phillips, the head pharmacist at the new Community Care Pharmacy, said pharmacy staff members maintain great relationships with patients’ prescribers, working with them closely to solve any problems that may arise. In addition, the full-service pharmacy will fill prescriptions from any medical provider — not just those that work in the CCWV health center. “One of the misconceptions is that you have to be a patient of one of our prescribers, but we actually fill prescriptions from all prescribers,” Phillips said.The new pharmacy is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 304-472-1712 with questions, or for more information, visit www.ccwv.org.